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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Have you heard about the plight of Amanda Trujillo, an RN who was fired by Banner health in Arizona for educating a patient in the process of obtaining informed consent?

The physician threw a well documented tantrum because the patient decided against the procedure after being educated. The physician demanded the nurse be fired and he has filed a complaint against the RN with the AZ Board of Nursing. This keeps her from being hired anywhere else in AZ.

Stand up for the entire nursing profession, for nurses who advocate for patients and stick to the tenants of informed consent. Call the AZ BRN (602-771-7800) or email them (arizona@azbn.gov). This could happen to you, your loved ones or your patients.

Bullying is a big issue for children trending all over the media. As adults we need to stand up and STOP the BULLYING in the workplace! Too many "good old boy" docs have gotten away with this for far too long and patients suffer for it. Health care costs are adversely affected. Lives are in jeopardy, and too many great nurses are lost because of it.

Please spread the word.

Thank you!!!

UPDATE: Read Kim's post at Emergiblog to discover why the ANA isn't taking a stand on this issue and supporting NURSES!!! (The current ANA President is affiliated with Banner Health-- conflict of interest?!) Shame on Banner Health!!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Nurses experience a high level of stress throughout the work day. Information passes from client, receptionist, nurse, doctor and insurance companies in a fast-paced, technologically advanced atmosphere within minutes of check-in. As a nursing professional, you must engage clients with respect and compassion. Stress can interfere with your relationships with patients and damage the image of your medical institution if you cannot control your reactions.

Dangers of Burnout
Stress can cause burnout, (also referred to as caregiver fatigue) a condition caused by exhaustion, prolonged stress and a collapse of mental capacity. Burnout makes you think differently, skip steps in completing tasks and make mistakes at work. According to Bonnie Jennings, the costs of nurses' mistakes because of burnout and stress-related factors exceeds thousands of dollars in damages for hospitals and nursing homes each year.

Stress Affects Your Health
You can jeopardize your career and a patient's life if you do not learn how to manage your stress effectively. In today's highly demanding workplaces, stress and burnout are the number one causes for coronary diseases. Your mental, physical and emotional health must be in tune and in control with the demands of your job. You cannot identify all stressors, but you can identify main ones to learn how to develop appropriate responses.

Speak with a Professional
Contact your employer to learn about the options available for stress-management through your organization. Sometimes you can apply for training in stress management, work with a therapist or get reimbursement for treatments to protect your health.

Focus On Results
If you are not able to receive treatments through your employer, focus on using stress management exercises to identify stressors and develop resilience to changes in the workplace. A few simple techniques to use are:

Counting to ten.

Deep breathing exercises.

A brisk walk during lunch or in-between breaks.

Writing in a journal.

Speaking with a friend or trusted family member.

You can overcome the problems of stress. Take your time, identify problem areas in your workplace and speak with supervisors if the problem is related to a patient, coworker or personal.

Stress is going to happen in your day. You have to learn how to control the stressors, and develop the skills necessary to defuse emotional attachments to situations so that you can perform at your best level. Until now, you may have allowed stress to cause frustration, anger or disappointment in your performance; you can take control today to make better decisions tomorrow).

Are you looking to become a nurse, today there are more options then ever before for achieving your dream job in nursing. You can find nursing degree options at DegreeJungle.com.

Author Bio:
Katie Beland has 15 years of experience in stress-management techniques for medical practitioners. She's written over 300 articles on the subject and works with leading medical institutions in training nursing staff how to control the outcome of their day.

Friday, January 20, 2012

One of the things about being a nurse is that it's not a nine-to-five job you can leave behind at the office. You're a nurse 24/7. And many times you're called upon by family and friends for advice and assistance with their medical issues. Just remember you aren't to diagnose or prescribe.

And then there are the times when you're depended upon to provide First Aid or to be the team's nurse or the scouting troop's nurse, etc. For this you really need to carry your own First Aid Kit.

Trust me, don't rely on the team or group to provide one. If they do, you're lucky. However, I always like to have my own kit available anyway because I know what's in there, and what I can trust to be used. You never know how long someone else's kit has been around or what it's been exposed to, and what supplies it has or is missing.

Recently, I was sent a First Aid Kit to review from Magid Glove & Safety, and I have to say I love it. It has all the things you might need and it's neatly organized and packaged. You can re-order items you've used up and there's room to add in a few things of your own. This model is wall mountable so you can locate it easily in your home or office. I'd suggest having one in your car too.

Everyone should have a kit on hand for emergencies. This is a great kit and would make a nice gift. It certainly works for being that team nurse.

One note of caution: you shouldn't rely on it as your base for bandages, etc., because you won't have them when an emergency happens, but you can certainly keep a box of bandages and antibiotic ointment right next to the kit for everyday needs.

This program offers six accredited online degree programs, including the recently added marketing degree, in addition to three accredited certificate programs. Linfield also offers three hybrid format programs, combining online courses with in-classroom instruction.

Linfield College has been offering online courses for more than ten years, with many of the instructors being involved in the early design of online education. The online format offers the flexibility adult students need to allow them to complete their degree at the pace that works for them, as many students are balancing a career, family life and other obligations while advancing their education.

Monday, January 9, 2012

I recently received an item to review. I have to be honest and tell you I don't often care for this process because some of the stuff people send me isn't worth the money they spent to send it.

However, in this instance I was pleasantly surprised-- the tool is reasonably priced, very easy to use and quite functional. The S3 Stat (TM) from Stat Gear is patent pending -- MADE IN THE USA -- and a must have tool for hands on nursing care. It easily slides on your stethoscope and is not intrusive.

For anyone ( such as doctors, nurses, therapists paramedics, EMT's, phlebotomists, etc.) who works with patients and uses adhesive tape, it's such a great tool!!!

There are other tape holder designs and items on the market, but this one works well and seems to be quite reliable. Some of the others have a good idea, but need some serious reworking because the tape falls off, and frankly there's nothing more aggravating when you need to tape down an IV line than having your tape become elusive!!

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